Paradise and the Peri

When the tram passes between Bloom and the woman he is eyeing for a glimpse of underwear, and he realizes that he has "Lost it," he thinks of "Paradise and the peri," a verse tale by the Irish poet Thomas Moore. The peri is an angel- or fairy-like being of Persian mythology who is shut out of paradise.

John Hunt 2019

Page from Thomas Moore's Paradise and the Peri (London: Day & Son, 1860), with decorative illustrations by Owen Jones and Henry Warren. Source: www.enchantedbooklet.com.

A 16th century Ottoman drawing of a peri, attributable to Veli Can. Source: udan-adan.blogspot.com.